Stocks continued to improve near midday Friday following the earlier release of better-than-expected consumer sentiment. Overall, equities are bouncing back from two days of big losses. The Nasdaq led with a 0.7% gain, thanks in part to heavyweights Apple (AAPL), Amazon.com (AMZN) and Google (GOOG). The S&P 500 rose 0.5% and regained its 200-day line. Meanwhile, the Dow Jones industrial average climbed 0.3%. Turnover was running higher across the